More than Silver

     This week we are looking at a passage that divides naturally into two major sections, starting with a miraculous healing at the Beautiful Gate and moving into Peter’s second major sermon. This event occurs in the aftermath of Pentecost, representing a time when the "Called Out Church" began to demonstrate the power of the Lord in the streets of Jerusalem.
     As we begin, we should visualize the setting. It is 3pm, which was the ninth hour and a traditional time for Jewish prayer and the evening sacrifice. Peter and John are "going up" to the temple, a term used because the temple mount was elevated. Their presence there is significant because it shows us that the early believers continued to participate in Jewish worship practices. They were not trying to start a brand new religion that was disconnected from their past, but they were instead looking for the fulfillment of Israel's hopes within the temple walls.
     At the entrance to the temple complex stood the Beautiful Gate, which many scholars believe was the Nicanor Gate. This was a massive, magnificent structure made of Corinthian bronze. It was so valuable that it exceeded the gates overlaid with silver and gold, and it required twenty men to swing its doors open and shut. Right at the base of this gleaming bronze gate sat a man who was the picture of human helplessness. He had been lame from his mother’s womb, meaning he had never taken a single step in his life. Every day, he was carried to this spot to beg for money because the temple drew crowds who felt a religious duty to give alms.
     When Peter and John approach, the man looks at them, expecting to receive a small coin. Peter, however, does not simply walk past. He and John fix their gaze on the man, a term that implies an intense and significant look. Peter commands the man to look at them, creating a direct personal encounter. The man expects silver, but Peter offers something that cannot be bought. He says, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give to you". Peter then issues a command in the name of Jesus. In their culture, a name represented the person’s character, authority, and power. By acting in Jesus’s name, Peter was acting as his authorized representative. He was not using a magic formula, but he was instead invoking the active involvement and presence of the living Lord.
     Peter reaches out, takes the man by the right hand, and raises him up. The results are immediate. Luke, the physician, provides medical specificity here, noting that the man’s feet and ankles were made strong right then and there. The man does not just stand up (he leaps). He enters the temple walking and leaping and praising God. This is more than just a happy reaction. It is a prophetic sign. The prophet Isaiah once promised that in the messianic age, the lame would leap like a deer. By recording this leap, Luke is signaling to us that the restoration of all things has begun.
     The crowd’s reaction is one of "wonder and amazement" because they recognize this man. They have seen him sitting at the gate for years. As they rush together at Solomon’s Portico, which was a covered walkway on the east side of the temple, Peter seizes the moment to preach. He begins by redirecting their attention away from the apostles. He asks them why they are staring as if his own power or godliness had healed the man. He wants them to know that the apostles are merely channels for the authority of Jesus.
     Peter then grounds the miracle in the history of Israel by calling on the "God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob". He uses the title "Servant" for Jesus, or pais, which connects him to the Suffering Servant of Isaiah. From here, Peter delivers a sharp accusation. He tells the crowd that they handed Jesus over and disowned him in the presence of Pilate. He points out the bitter irony of their choice: they rejected the "Holy and Righteous One" and instead asked for a murderer, Barabbas, to be released. Then, Peter presents the ultimate paradox. He tells them they killed the "Author of life," but God raised him from the dead. The word for Author, archegos, means the originator or pioneer of life. It is a devastating point: the people executed the very source of life itself.
     However, Peter does not leave them in despair. He softens his tone by acknowledging that they and their leaders acted in ignorance. While ignorance does not remove their guilt, it does open the door for repentance. He explains that their actions actually fulfilled what God had foretold through the prophets (that the Messiah must suffer). This shows us the mystery of God's sovereignty, where he uses even human sin to accomplish his plan for salvation.
     Peter then issues a double command to "repent and turn". Repentance is a change of mind, while turning is an active conversion back to God. He promises three beautiful results for those who respond. First, their sins will be "wiped away," a term that means to erase a debt record or wipe a slate completely clean. Second, he promises that "times of refreshing" will come from the presence of the Lord. This word, anapsuxis, appears only here in the New Testament, and it pictures cool relief from oppressive heat or the revival of someone who is exhausted. Third, he looks forward to the "universal restoration," or apokatastasis, when Jesus returns to make all things right again.
     Peter finishes his sermon by showing that this is what the Scriptures have always pointed toward. He identifies Jesus as the "prophet like Moses" mentioned in Deuteronomy, and he warns that those who do not listen to him will be completely cut off. He tells the crowd that they are the "heirs of the prophets and of the covenant". They are the first ones who were meant to receive the blessing promised to Abraham. We must notice, however, how Peter defines that blessing. He says God sent Jesus to bless them by "turning each of you from your wicked ways". True blessing, in this context, is moral transformation and a return to the Lord.
     When we step back and look at the theological themes of this chapter, several points stand out. First, we see the absolute power of Jesus’s name. Peter and John had no inherent power, and they had no "silver and gold" (no financial resources or political influence). They simply acted as ambassadors of the risen Christ. This reminds us that the church’s greatest asset is not its budget but the authority of our Lord.
     Second, we see the theme of prophetic fulfillment. Peter weaves together threads from Moses, Samuel, Isaiah, and Abraham to show that the gospel is not a new invention. It is the climax of God’s redemptive plan. The physical healing of the lame man is a "sign" that points to the messianic salvation Jesus brings. It is a physical picture of a spiritual reality.
     Third, we encounter the "scandal of the cross". Peter holds the crowd responsible for their rejection of Jesus, but he also shows that God’s sovereignty was at work the whole time. The cross was the worst thing humans ever did, yet it became the best thing God ever accomplished.
     Finally, we see the offer of restoration. The physical restoration of a man who was lame from birth is a preview of the spiritual restoration available to everyone who repents and turns. The "times of refreshing" are not just for the future; they are an invitation for us today to experience the relief and revival that come from being in the Lord’s presence.